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Roy Caffey
Real Name: Roy Odes Caffey Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina Date: October 8, 1972 Case Details: Roy Caffey was a highway patrolman in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He was married with a fifteen-year-old son named Robert. On the night of October 8, 1972, Roy made a routine delivery of blood to the local hospital. He radioed his dispatcher, saying that he would meet his relief at the Interstate 26 interchange, just north of of Orangeburg. However, he never arrived at the interchange. Shortly after 11PM, with less than a half hour left on his shift, he pulled over a car along Interstate 26. At least three witnesses reported that the car was a red late-model Mustang. One witness saw two white males talking to Roy next to his patrol car. The witness also saw a white passenger sitting in the Mustang. A short time later, another witness noticed that Roy had ushered the three individuals into his patrol car. Just a few minutes later, shortly before midnight, he was found dead next to his patrol car. He had been shot six times, twice in the face, three times in the neck, and once in the thigh. It was determined that he had been shot by his own gun. Investigators discovered that an intense struggle had occurred in the car, with the dome light smashed and Roy's hat crushed. After assaulting Roy in his car, the assailants apparently dragged him out of the vehicle and shot him repeatedly. Roy's gun and holster were stolen, but no trace of the killer or killers were ever found and the case grew cold. Roy's death devastated his family. Just three years later, his widow Mildred passed away without ever learning who killed her husband. Roy's son Robert later married and had two children. He hopes to keep his father's memory alive through them. In the twenty years since the murder, Robert has done everything he could to find his father's killer. Suspects: The suspects' vehicle was described a red or rust-colored late-model Mustang. The suspects were believed to be two white males, accompanied by a white female. They have never been identified. Investigators believe that the assailants killed Roy because they were involved in illegal activities and did not want to be caught. Investigators suspected that their vehicle may have had drugs in it. They also theorized that the assailants may have committed a robbery just before the murder. There were unsubstantiated rumors that the Red Mustang was buried by two brothers who had access to heavy machinery. The gun and holster may have been put in a small pond on the same land the Mustang may have been buried. It is possible the two brothers were responsible for the shooting. Rumor had it that the red Mustang had been borrowed from a female for a drug purchase. There were two red Mustangs often seen in the Edisto Gardens area, and the two brothers they were known to be violent. The brothers were persons of interest from the beginning of the investigation. When the investigation began, there was a rumor circulating that investigators knew who was responsible for the murder, but they had no proof. Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the December 9, 1994 episode. Results: Solved. In February of 1997, a woman named Betsy Rourk Kemmerlin was arrested and charged with Roy Caffey's murder. Kemmerlin was sixteen in 1972; she had been interviewed shortly after the murder. Since then, she served time for burglary and other crimes. Viewer's tips and other witnesses helped link her to the crime. She had allegedly bragged to multiple people about her involvement in the murder. After her arrest, she identified the two other suspects involved in the murder: her brother Ben Kemmerlin and a friend, Lee Mizzell. However, Ben was killed in a traffic accident in 1981, and Lee was killed in a domestic dispute in 1984. She claimed that the three were smoking marijuana on the night of the murder. According to her, Ben and Lee had gotten out of the car after Roy pulled them over, and that they had got into a fight, shooting and killing him. She claimed that she was only involved after the fact. She also claimed that Lee threatened to kill her if she talked. In February of 1999, Kemmerlin pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of murder. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. However, her sentence was suspended and she was placed on probation for five years. She violated her probation in 2000 and was returned to prison. In December of 2001, she was released again. In 2009, she died of undisclosed causes at the age of fifty-three. Links: * Slain trooper's memory may produce fresh leads * Santee woman charged in 25-year-old killing of highway patrolman * Arrest Made In Slaying Of Trooper 25 Years Ago * Arrest May End Mystery Of Trooper Slain In '72 * "Trooper's Death May Finally Be Solved," Observer-Reporter, February 22, 1997. * Arrest may clear up 25-year mystery * Woman pleads guilty in trooper's killing * 35 years later, officer's death no longer mystery * Woman connected to 1972 trooper's slaying dies * Role in Caffey case is example of SLED spokesman’s impact * Slain patrolman Roy Caffey honored with naming of rest areas * Roy Caffey at Find a Grave ---- Category:South Carolina Category:1972 Category:Murder Category:Police-Involved Cases Category:Solved